The National tribune., 1887-12-08


caused by some woiish dog who had been sur
prised feeding on some carcass Of dead sheep,
i gathered courage 10 move closer to the object.
As it was IN q general way in my path, i was
obliged TO get by il, despite the sickening Odor
which was everywhere around. In hot,
sultry August night 1t was like-well, old SOL
diers can imagine what il was like. intended
TO 20 around the object as far away as possible,
aud was climbing over log rather than walk
too close to where / thought il was, when what
was my horror TO find i had stepped from the
top of the log right onto
THE DECAYING BODY OF MAN.
oh. horror Of horrorsl
When / stepped down onto the object my
foot slipped as it would from a Shiny substance,
throwing me down partly, as l had one hand
TO my nose, plunging both my hands into the
soft, decaying flesh, causing it to peel of the
hair from the scalp.
What did do? What would you have donef
/ was for that moment in my life wild as ever
a lunatic could be, and cannot remember fur
ther than that ran straight ahead toward the
road, and after reaching il j scaled the fence
like scared dog at two bounds, and ran-oh,
dear me- didn't care what should meet after
that
i rubbed my hands in the dusty road, i pol
ished the shoe in the dust that had slipped of
the Shiny bones, but the smell would not out !;
il seemed to pervade everything. and became
sick from the exhaustion, and the experience
OF the hour had so turned my stomach that /
was as weak and helpless as child, and in this
condition / lay down in fence-corner, not able
TO hold my head up another moment.
j knew that the dreadful object was dead
man. was convinced of this because some Of
his hair was in the sleeve of my shirt the next
day. don't feel like writing anything more
about this, and will dismiss it with the sugges-
tion of the theory which then entertained,
that it was most likely the unburied body of a
wounded rebel, or an escaped Union prisoner,
who, like myself, after the recent battle of Ma
nassas, had concealed himself in the thicket,
and while in that condition he had probably
taken sick, and being unable to procure any
assistance or to make his presence known, had
died this lonely and unhappy death, and the
wolves and dogs only had found his resting
place beside the log.
While lay curled up in the fence-corner for
an hour or so, / imagined everything-dear
me might fill book with the thoughts that
that dreadful night. Every stick of wood be-
came snake, and they soon became so numer-
Gus that was surrounded by them on all sides.
The trees were a mass of living. laughing, bow
ing giants, who were there TO laugh at my mis-
cry, and the noises-well we all know how a
little frog can scare big man when it darts
into the puddle of water with a thug, especially
IL lts at nlght ana be Is alone.
There were plenty of
UEBURIED AND HALF-BURIED BODIES
all over the country about Manassas, while
the very air was laden with the odor from
decaying horses and mules One can i'm
agine far better than j can describe the sensa-
tions of an oyer-sensitive youth as he lay in a
fence-corner OF Virginia, forced to inhale the
odor and obliged TO hear all the dreadful noises
that came out Of the dark woods; and add 20
this the certain knowledge that there could be
no hope of any relief for mo from this verita-
bic hell in Virginia and yon will be able to ap-
preciate my feelings in part.
As j lay there, to add further to my cup of
misery, / heard coming along the road the
tramp Of distant horses Lying on the ground
one can hear the trampingof horses feet long
ways of, and suffered in anticipation just so
much the longer. i knew, or imagined, these
were the same party whom ! had left at the
house. This danger served TO rouse me par
tally and raising my head little, got my
trusty little Colt out Of its concealment, and
was ready for the end
In truth i did not then care, and had become
so perfectly desperate that was ready, and in
deed almost anxious, to be- out Of my misery
but i wanted to die defending myself like a
man, and would not have hesitated moment
10 have challenged the whole party.
They approached rapidly, aud raised myself
/ TO sitting posture, placed my back against the
/ fence, cooked the pistol, and waited. They trot
ted mp, talking gaily amongst themselves, and
without seeing me- rode past. That was not
very wonderful, because 1 was so close to the
/ fence as to be part of il in the shadow, and
| the night was still too dark for objects to be
seen at any distance, especially from rapidly
| trOtting horse.
The safe passing of this detachment served
to arouse me, and the dust which they had
raised had scarcely settled and the sound OF
their horses hOOfs were yet to be heard when
felt imbued with a new strength as ! realized
| that there was yet some hope for my escaping
! knew that it would be safe enough TO fol
low along in the wake Of that troop of cavalry
men, and that there were no infantry piekets
down this road was evident from the fact o
their being out on this scout.
So stepped out, glad enough TO be movin,
anywhere that would take me from the sigh
and smell of scenes that had just been com
PEELED to endure.
/ forged along slowly, because l was well
nigh exhausted in strength and still quite veal
from the oyerpowering dose l had gotten il
the woods.
l don't know how long I walked that road
] remember very well that / found it necessar,
to stop every little while to rest, because
WAS BECOMING SO WEAK
that could scarcely get along at all, and ever
time I'd sit down or lie down I'd find mysel
going off to sleep in the road. / reused mysel
each time with a greater effort, and had tn
daylight been delayed but little longer fea
j should have been obliged TO succumb to sleey
/ knew that if the cavalrymen returne
along this road / should be able to discove
their approach long time before they coul
get up 10 me, and i could get out of the way
i Judged rightly, too, that they would be tn
only trouble should have to overcome, as
was evidently their assignment to look afte
that particular road.
Why didn't get ahead Of them2 1t wG
safer to follow them than TO have them folio
me. They would ask at every house If
stranger had passed. Now they would be tol
that no one had been along that way, and s
they would return.
discovered about sunrise smoke curling u
over the tops Of little growth Of trees to :h
. side of the road yet some distance aheal
, Knowing that / dare not approach from tn
road, crawled over the fence and began m
old tactics of flanking the place by going to th
rear of il. When got through the woods an
came out on the other edge nearest the hous
found myself almost behind 1t.
The house was larger than any l had see
the previous evening, and / gathered from I'll
appearance Of several little outbuildings neare
me, which ] judged were quarters" for til
negroes, that the place belonged to a well tod
) Virginia slave-Owner. There was no smOl
D coming from the main house; it was from OF
of the little houses that supposed was an on
/ kitchen.
r saw no one about the large house, whel
{ they were evidently yet asleep. There was an o.
> aunty prowling about the woodward gatherir
4 chips.